Mark Winterbottom says time is not the enemy amid his preparation for the Supercars All Stars Esport series.
The 2015 champion received his new sim on Wednesday and admits he will need plenty of practice if he wants to be competitive when the series gets underway on April 8.
“I’ve got to say sim racing isn’t my forte, I haven’t done it for about 10 years,” Winterbottom said in a social media Q and A this week.
“Ten years ago it was a bit different, almost to the point where you were on your keypad and ‘a’ was accelerate and ‘z’ was brake and you’d go left and right [with the arrow keys].
“It’s come a long way now. They’ve got force feedback wheels, they’ve got proper pedals, they’ve got shifting modules, they’ve got proper seating.
“Hopefully it resembles some sort of real feel because I’m banking on that to get me through.”
But Winterbottom is confident that with a fair amount of practice there is no excuse why the 38-time race winner won’t be competitive, at least by the end of the 10-round series.
“I can’t complain that I haven’t got the equipment because it’s a damn good looking set-up,” he added.
“I’m looking forward to it. I may not win the first one but I hope by the end I can start to get a bit better.
“I can’t blame time, I’ve got plenty of time to play it so let’s see how we go.”
Though Winterbottom is not the only driver desperate to get some sim-racing practice under their belts before the competition gets underway.
Kelly Racing’s Rick Kelly sent out a public plea for help on his social media, admitting he is clueless when it comes to preparing a sim, let alone racing in one.
While Tickford’s Will Davison says that he has plenty of catching up to do to ensure he can be competitive come race day.
“I’ve got a bit of catching up to do, but I should be right. I should have good equipment and that makes quite a big difference in the sim world,” Davison told Supercars.com.
“But until I get myself fully organised I’m a bit nervous. I need to get some practice underway.”
The Supercars All Stars Esport series is scheduled to begin on April 8 with two rounds from the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit and The Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, Italy.